High-End Vegan Restaurants on the Las Vegas Strip

Seafood carts bursting with bug-eyed langoustines don’t exactly prepare a diner for the waiter’s question: Would you like to see our vegan menu? But that’s exactly what each guest hears at Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.

“It’s not an option to NOT talk about it,” says Paul Bartolotta, the owner and executive chef. “Here at Wynn, we must discuss the various ways to dine at our restaurants, and that includes ordering vegan. And you know what? People love it. It shows that we take food seriously.”

And veganism in Vegas is one serious business. Though it may sound strange in the City of Sin, where seemingly no one says no to anything (including high-end meats for high rollers), nearly every major hotel restaurant on the Strip now caters to the specific diets of both local and visiting Las Vegans–including those who prefer plants. It’s a growing trend that emphasizes options, not excess, to further establish the city as one where anything goes (and, according to the famous adage, stays).

The shift began two years ago, when hotel mogul Steve Wynn swore off consumption of animal products, then took action within his eponymous property to make sure every single restaurant offered high-quality, plant-based offerings.

“Wynn was a real innovator with regards to a far-reaching vegan impact within this 24-hour food city,” says Paul Graham, author of Eating Vegan in Vegas. “Personally, he needed to optimize his health, but beyond that, he’s a businessman who realized that the number of vegans in this country is growing at an exponential rate.”

“One thing you learn very quickly working in Vegas is that you must cater to the entire world,” says Bartolotta. “Everyone comes with a different expectation and cultural background. We’re in a business that needs to be flexible and adaptable–and that includes recognizing dietary restrictions. Saying no to a customer is like the kiss of death. You don’t make your players happy and you don’t get repeat guests.”

Even Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio has a vegan menu. Executive chef Sean Griffin says he enjoys whipping up dishes like baby beets with tofu and crispy shallots, and butternut squash risotto with pumpkin seeds and chanterelles. “On the chef end, it’s fun to think outside the box and work with ingredients we might not normally work with,” he says. “For instance, at Prime, we use a lot of pureed tofu in place of butter or cream.”

And with his “Autumn Vegetable Tasting” entree ringing in at $36, both the produce and prices are on par with steakhouse classics like beef short ribs ($39). “In the past, I think vegan diners expected a plate of whatever the kitchen had on hand–an unadventurous afterthought,” Griffin says. “We want to give our vegan guests the same experience as fellow diners ordering off the regular menu: tasty and complex options.”

Even formerly Strip-shy local vegans have responded to the city’s changing culinary scene, heading to casinos not for the gambling tables but for the dinner tables. “Vegas has really gone from a good food city to a great food city in the past five years,” says Graham, the vegan blogger. “Local vegans aren’t interested in gambling so much, but the Strip is now a destination for food and community.”

In fact, the vegan options are tasty enough that they’re even starting to attract waist-watching meat eaters. “There are so many delicious vegan dishes in Vegas, it’s become a way to eat healthier and shave off some calories,” says Vegas Magazine editor in chief
Abby Tegnelia. “Restaurants have made options so tasty, why wouldn’t you order a vegan appetizer instead of something high in calories?”

Which makes perfect sense: This is a city where looking fabulous is just as important as eating fabulously. Amid the flashy cars, luxury boutiques, deep pockets and spinning roulette wheels, there’s a low-LDL cholesterol cult betting big.

“Aside from an appearance by a notable vegan like Bill Clinton, this is a quiet city movement, but it’s definitely a movement,” says Graham. “A plant-based diet is much more than a trend, it’s a global necessity. And if it can be done here in Vegas, it can be done anywhere.” –Julie Bensman

Check out a few of chef Paul Bartolotta’s vegan recipes fit for Sin City, below.

Slowly whisk together chickpea flour and 2 1/2 cup warm water. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour. Spoon off any foam on top and add chopped sage, salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan in the oven to heat for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Pour batter into the pan and return the pan to the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown. Cut into quarters and serve with the fennel salad.

FENNEL SALAD

Using a mandolin or a knife, thinly shave fennel and celery and refresh in very cold water to make crisp. Drain and keep in refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper towel. Heat oil in an 8-inch high-sided pan. Fry capers in oil until crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil with a wire strainer or slotted spoon and place on a plate with absorbent paper. Combine fennel, celery, celery leaves, arugula, and onions. Season the salad with salt and pepper and dress lightly with the olive oil and vinegar. Serve with the farinata and sprinkle capers on top.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place one sheet of phyllo flat on the counter. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with sugar. Place the second sheet flat on top of the first and brush with oil; sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with the final sheet. Using a 4 1/2-inch fluted oval cutter, cut out 15 pieces. Place on parchment paper on a sheet tray. Dust with pistachios. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the phyllo. Put a second sheet tray on top of the parchment paper to keep the phyllo flat. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO MOUSSE

In a small saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, and pistachio paste. Put the dark chocolate into a mixing bowl. Heat coconut milk over medium heat, stirring often, just until it begins to boil. Remove immediately and strain over the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Cool until mixture stiffens. After it is set, use an electric mixer to whip the mousse.

AMARENA CHERRIES

Strain cherries and reserve syrup. Cut the cherries into halves. Combine the cherry syrup with sugar, moscato, and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Reduce by half over low heat. Off heat, stir in the cherry halves. Serve warm.

ASSEMBLY

Layer together the pistachio phyllo and mousse. Three pieces of phyllo with 2 layers of mousse in between. Dust the top piece of phyllo with powdered sugar. Garnish with 9 halves of warm Amarena cherries.

Julie Bensman is an Upper West Side-based writer and vegetarian yet to take the leap into a cheese-free world. No animals were harmed in the creation of this article.